Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Apkudo's Antidote To Android Anxiety | Dr Dobb's

Android application development specialist Apkudo has been vocal of late with regard to its online application test platform. The company's developer proposition rests on providing a place for programmers to see their apps run on every available Android device, thereby reducing what Apkudo calls launch anxiety.

"Apkudo lets developers run their apps on every Android device on the market. Period," said Josh Matthews, Apkudo CEO and cofounder. "Improving user experience on devices consumers actually buy and own benefits the whole Android ecosystem, from developers to OEMs to operators to end-users."

Apkudo points out that the openness of Android has fuelled its rapid growth but that it can also promote platform fragmentation, which is the bane of Android developers, device manufacturers, mobile operators, and end-users alike. When Android implementations diverge in look-and-feel, behavior, APIs, and other aspects, developers can find their apps working on some Android phones and tablets but not on others. With hundreds of Android-based devices on the market, app testing is daunting and risk of consumer rejection is high.

"Apkudo finesses fragmentation by testing on every available Android device. Developers upload APKs (Android Packages) for testing and view streamed video output of applications running on the actual Android device collection," said Apkudo's Matthews. Developers also receive test reports detailing execution and performance results across the whole Akpudo portfolio. When new devices are released and integrated into Apkudo, apps are automatically retested and updated results pushed out to subscribing developers.

Apkudo is free to Android application developers. The Apkudo team is working in "lean startup mode" to evolve and mature Apkudo capabilities to match developer needs and eventually the requirements of the larger Android ecosystem — mobile enterprise developers, ISVs, device OEMs, mobile operators, and beyond.

"The Apkudo vision for a better user experience builds on developer feedback and gleaning insight from exercising apps on Android hardware," noted Benno Leslie, Apkudo president and director of Products. "Lean startup methods and data analytics give Apkudo a clear edge over device clouds that just rent device access by the minute."